Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • March 3, 2022 4:18 PM

@ Who?, Mr. Peed Off, ALL,

it seems there is a huge amount of universities being targeted by the NSA around the world. It does not make a lot of sense if they are looking for terrorist activity.

Remember the NSA targeted a Beligium Telco, in arder to get at Crypto Researchers.

The US spew a lot of nonsense about how they do not do “Industrial Espionage”, the cat climbed out the bag on that long before Ed Snowdens revelations provided a heap load more dots to join up.

At least the French were more honest about it with the head of their security services years ago say that spying was less expensive and more effective than R&D.

Thr hard part of indistrial espionage, has not been getting the information, that is almost trivially easy. No the hard part is covering up the fact you have not just stolen it but given it to others to use.

In effect the only easy way to do it is to give it to companies that already run “secret projects” so it just becomes one of many, thus “hides in the noise”.

But it also gives the agencies a way to pay people without having to give them money.

Not only does the company benift greatly, so do those who buy the company stock at an oportune time. Which would be a little while after they’ve had a chance to progress the information from the idustrial espionage, to the point that when the news gets out the share price will jump up as actual investors not share price manipulators climb on.

This jas been mentioned on this blog before.

The Joirnalist Duncan Campbell developed his own piece of technology to detect people tapping his telephone line, using the principles of Time Domain Reflectometery”(TDR). MI5 stole his design and got Marconi to make them for the UK security services… And the security services wondered why Duncan Campbell took a significant dislike to them, dug out their dirty laundry and aired it to the world via the EU Parliment (his report on Echelon being the one most remember).

These Governmental dirt bags, and that’s what they realy are claim that the rules do not apply to them because they are somehow “exceptional” and “have the moral high ground” and are “doong it for the common good”… I should not need to say that it’s a great big pile of bovine scat, and that it’s the same old “Divine Right” nonsense of the “King Game” which is “Might is right” and the guard labour will beat you into submission or worse “because…”.

Clive Robinson • March 3, 2022 4:48 PM

@ JonKnowsNothing,

It can be hazardous for some to bring their Families to Visit Disneyland.

If what I was once told was true, whilst thete is a lower age limit, there is no uper age limit.

So even Grand Pa could find himself drafted if he had “desirable skills” and that is what it is all about.

1, Youngsters as cannon fodder.
2, Those with skills that the USG has not paid for.

I think that Covid and the various “war acts” getting the dust blown off of them has woken more than one or two people up recently, and other events prior to that this century.

Oh and remember even if you live abroad, have never been to the US and don’t ever want to go to the US, and certainly have never made your way to the US for any reason, it does not stop this sort of thing… Like Israel the US take a “universal jurisdiction” view point and rendition is as the US has repeatedly shown, not that expensive, has minimal paperwork and most other nations just look the other way whilst they let you get thrown under the bus… Oh and if a government does get in the way, a few million in “bribes” usually resolves that.